It’s The Little Things That Thrill

February 21, 2011

Open beta comes to an end for Rift, and I just found out from Levelcapped that the beta client will not be usable for the head-start later this week. So just now, I made a copy of my beta screenshot folder so I won’t accidentally erase it when I do my uninstalling. Given how many screenshots I take, it would be a shame to lose them all.

While I was going through them, I am reminded once again how much I appreciate the little things in our MMOs, the kinda stuff that will barely affect my gameplay, but will still put a smile on my face nonetheless.

This is a screenie I took recently, remembering a post on Pix’led Life I saw the other day about the little details in Rift. I have a tendency to want to explore and stick my nose in little corners as well, whenever I see something in the game environment that catches my eye. My attention was drawn to this open chest I glimpsed, placed on the top of the scaffolding in the picture above. As you can see though, there’s no stairway up there. What there is, however, is a rope tied to one of the posts connecting it to the ground.

So I brush up on my tightrope walking skills and do some pokin’ around!

If you’ve read my earlier post about artifact finding, you’ll know that some of the rarest artifacts I’ve discovered were always in the most out of the way places — like high up in the side of a cliff or in a hole in a tree somewhere. I honestly thought I was going to find a rare artifact in that chest up there, thinking, “If I was a game dev, what better place to hide something like that?”

Here’s what I actually found:

What the hell, Trion? Suffice to say, I wasn’t that disappointed in that there was no rare artifact waiting for me. I was more baffled and amused, not to mention shocked, by the complete randomness of finding a dead dwarf in a chest, up here in the middle of nowhere in a place one would have to tightrope to reach. It was obviously placed here purposely, and while I don’t exactly get the joke, oh well, I still laughed at the little detail.

Here’s another one of those little things in Rift that make me smile, and if you play I’m sure you must have noticed it too — the fact when you target someone in the game, your character will actually turn his or head to look at the person. Rowan mentioned how it made for a more immersive experience when he was in town having dinner and Mr. MMOGC and I last week, and I agreed with him. Well, maybe not so much when you find yourself awkwardly craning your neck in one direction towards a vendor while running about in town. But on the other hand, say when you’re fighting a 50-foot titan and throwing your head back to stare him in the eye, it does make for a more realistic and heroic picture than simply ogling at his toes.

Or even check out the following screenshot of my husband’s and my characters quietly regarding each other, and the big difference a little eye contact makes. Can’t you just feel the love? Here, I am glaring at him for being 8 levels below me and already having way cooler-looking armor, while I’m still stuck running around in a grungy potato sack looking like a rice-farming peasant.

Ugh, the downside of being a clothie.

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18 comments

Agghh! Never saw that one coming! A dead dwarf in a chest…I don’t get it…

But then again, I don’t need to get it; it’s enough that Trion gives their devs the ability to include such pointless details! I never left the Defiant or Guardian starter areas, so I’m dyin’ to get out there and see what else I can find!

I would love it if more games would put in achievements for exploration. Not just like explore this or explore that, but stuff you get for doing something or discovering something. Of course, there would be guides and stuff popping up left and right if that were the case. Still, I wouldn’t be looking at them, I think it’s fun to have an achievement pop up when you least expect it.

One time in alpha I hit a bug that had me respawn on the far side of Silverwood…as a low-level Defiant. My spawn point had gotten borked so I couldn’t teleport home.

As I tried to hoof it, I skirted the edges and seams of zones and cliffsides trying not to die again, and was constantly surprised by how many artifact sparklies and other little treats I found. Definitely the kind of game where you really want to explore.

Wow, I think that’s great! Most people would travel along the roads for the safety and the convenience, but for those who travel off the beaten path I’m glad there special treats like that as rewards and incentives.

Nice find! I’m wondering if it will be part of a quest later on? I read that about the beta client as well, but on the forums a lot of folks are pointing to a post made by Cindy (community mgr.)regarding the need for another client. They correctly point out that a lot of what is on that list in that post has already been reversed or changed in one way or another. I’m hoping this is the case for the need for a whole new client….

Hmm, I’ve actually found that it is usually the case where I have to uninstall the beta and download another client for launch. Maybe it could be the programming systems behind it or even just for business reasons, who knows. Or maybe like they said there will be a lot of changes.

Heh heh, perhaps. Now I’m thinking about it though, it would have been even more hilarious if it had been a dead elf in a chest. It would make for a more gruesome scene, I’m sure, given the small size of that chest, but hey, it would be a joke I’d get :P

I dunno, maybe I have no fashion sense, but I like your cloth robes. You are too used to the gaudiness of WoW outfits. It’s hard to see Mr. GC’s armor with the “selected” glow around him; and I am pretty sure plate is not supposed to flex like that. :P

LOL It just struck me that your markings in that pic make your look like you’re recovering from a Borg nanoprobe infestation. XP

[…] MMO Gamer Chick — It’s the little things that thrill “I was more baffled and amused, not to mention shocked, by the complete randomness of finding a dead dwarf in a chest, up here in the middle of nowhere in a place one would have to tightrope to reach.” […]

The detail in Telara is astounding. This is why it feels to me like the spiritual successor of Everquest and Vanguard, the two other MMOs I’ve played where the developers were able, and willing, to fill the world with stuff just because.

I’ve seen a lot of odd things already, and I’ve only really explored two zones. One of the oddest, though, is in one of the busiest places and yet most people are never going to see it. If you come into Sanctum as a ghost (why would you, right?), you’ll see something interesting in that fountain/garden just across the bridge. I won’t spoil it, but it made me think of “Harvey”. Or possibly Donny Darko.